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SWR vs GK

Skoti

Skoti

Guest
Sep 29, 2016
9
1
Tampa Bay, FL
#1
Hi guys! I'll get right to it...... Currently, I am powering an Eden 4x10 and 1x10 with a GK 1001RB (700 wt) which I love BUT............the longer it's on it starts to get a fuzziness that is simply unacceptable. I am interested an SWR SM 500. My issue is financial as I am one of those disabled guys. My concern is longevity and quality. I've been a GK fan for a couple of decades but really no longer require the 700 watts not to mention the inevitable repair bill for my current GK head. Other than my SWR practice amp, I really have no experience with SWR. I know the SWR has been on a downswing of sorts in the quality department but this particular model (SM 500) has consistently had positive reviews. Here's where you guys come in.......
 
#2
SWR is no more, Fender stopped production on all products in 2013. I have never used an SM 500 but I do still own a 750X which sounds good, has tons of volume and has never let me down in the 10 years I have owned it. I do have to say though that ever since I got my hands on a GK 800RB a couple of years ago, the 750X gets less use and is now my back up.
 
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#3
The Regulator said:
SWR is no more, Fender stopped production on all products in 2013. I have never used an SM 500 but I do still own a 750X and it sounds good and has never let me down in the 10 years I have owned it. I do have to say though that ever since I got my hands on a GK 800RB a couple of years ago, the 750X gets less use and is now my back up.
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Thanks for your response. I do have enough gear to trade for the SWR w/o the need to sacrifice my GK
. I think I'll probably take that route so I can always have a solid go to with the freedom of tonal exploration with the SWR.
 
#5
The SWR SM500 is a fine amp, and you can get a heck of a deal on used ones. I believe the SM400S is essentially the same amp, except it has banana plugs on the back as opposed to speakons, and the transparency knob is separate and not stacked.

That being said, the SWR sound isn't for everyone, and while I personally enjoy(ed) it, it's hard to dial it out if you don't like it.
 
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#6
Skoti said:
Hi guys! I'll get right to it...... Currently, I am powering an Eden 4x10 and 1x10 with a GK 1001RB (700 wt) which I love BUT............the longer it's on it starts to get a fuzziness that is simply unacceptable. I am interested an SWR SM 500. My issue is financial as I am one of those disabled guys. My concern is longevity and quality. I've been a GK fan for a couple of decades but really no longer require the 700 watts not to mention the inevitable repair bill for my current GK head. Other than my SWR practice amp, I really have no experience with SWR. I know the SWR has been on a downswing of sorts in the quality department but this particular model (SM 500) has consistently had positive reviews. Here's where you guys come in.......
Click to expand...

Hello Skoti!

I have the SWR SM-500 and it is my main and only amp that I use. I bought it brand new back in 2001 with a Goliath Senior 6x10 cab and the tone kills, even 15 years later. I have never had any reliability or longevity issues at all. The one complaint SWR tend to get is how hot they run(You can almost fry an egg on it!) and the internal fan is kind of loud when it kicks on which MAY bleed through recordings with a mic but I never had that issue. This is all completely normal for the amp to run that way. The only thing you should ever have to do is replace the pre-amp tubes every once in a while as it is a hybrid head (tube pre-amp with solid state power). I have yet to change mine and it still sounds great.

Fred312b is right. SWR does have a distinct tone to it especially with the Aural Enhancer on it. SWR amps are known for the 250hz scoop sound to it even with all setting flat but you can easily fix that with the EQ on the SM-500. The SM-500 is a super clean/ transparent head but it does have a lot of growl and punch to it.

I was disappointed when they discontinued the model as well to hear them go out of business :(.... I love the sound I get from the SWR amp and cabs (Goliath Senior and Triad) that I have and don't know what I would go with next if it ever broke on me.

For your case, I think the SM-500 would do very well with the 410 Eden as the owner of Eden used to work for SWR back in the 80's I believe. So if you can pick one up I say go for it!



Sam


Oh and P.S. if you do get this amp avoid constant of clipping of the preamp (little red LED) while playing at show volume as it will shut down from over heating and it will not turn on until the fan cools it down enough! Just make sure you get your "gain structure" correct as this amp gets plenty loud. I learned that one the hard way years ago. I never had an issue since.
 
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#8
My SWR SM400S bought new in the 90's was a workhorse for years and never let me down once. I still play it on occasion. The SWR voicing is not for everyone and, at least on the 400 and 500, it takes some practice to be able to get the tone you want quickly.

Those heads have a lot of versatility that can easily get you chasing your sound rather than precisely dialing it in. As has been said, many believe the pre-Fender SWR products are the best, I'm one of those people.
 
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#11
The Regulator said:
It took me a while to get "my sound" but the key is playing around with the aural enhancer (there are those who hate it, but I actually like it) and the knobs/faders that adjust the mid frequencies and levels.
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As I recall the aural enhancer actually added some additional preamp gain up to around noon and after that (easily by the one to the two o'clock position) it started to really scoop the tone in the 200-250 HZ range.

That semi-parametric mid range was tough for many to get a handle on, I think it had more tweak-ability than many folks knew what to do with. I also always used a HPF with that amp. Steve Rabe gave it a lot more low end/sub low end than any cab I knew of could ever use. Not only did that eat some headroom, but the capability produced little more than potential damage to speakers. Once you had a handle all those quirks it was great tool for shaping sound though!
 
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#12
mmbongo said:
Since SWR has been out if business for years, who does their support? That would be my concern.
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You have to go to someone who does vintage gear service and repair. The good news is that Steve Rabe's schematics are readily available on the internet, including an "amp bias procedure" that is somewhat of an oddity for a solid state amp. I suspect the procedure may be more for balancing the internal amps with each other, but it's been years since I actually looked at it.

In my case I live 15 minutes from Music Technology here in Northern Virginia. They have done amp and guitar repairs for me in the past and if you're wiling to wait, they're pretty capable technicians.
 
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#13
I've got an SWR Bass 750 and an Electric Blue and had an original Redhead combo. Not the same amp you're looking at but all have been reliable and sound good. I've received complements on my tone using all three. I also agree with previous posters about boosting the 200 - 250 HZ range. I also run the Aural Enhancer at 11 o'clock or below. Or off.
This thread talks about a mod to be able to bypass the AE with good effect:

SWR Aural Enhancer Bypass
 
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#15
wraub said:
I only have an SWR pre and not a complete amp, but the "SWR sound" is something I find to be more versatile than usually described.

Anecdotal but useful info here:
"SWR" sound?
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I think the reason is because you needed to understand how SWR stuff was designed/voiced and how to effectively use all the adjust-ability. It was more of a blank canvas (with some admittedly "irregular corners") than most other amps up to that point that had a simpler EQ set-up and a more familiar/traditional inherent voicing. That's my guess anyway.
 
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#17
I like both, but I'm primarily a GK user. SWR is quality gear, but doesn't have that recognizable tone or feature that other amps have, like an SVT Classic or GK 800RB. It reminds me of, just another DI tone, and not that it's a bad thing, just tonal preference.
 
#18
I've got an SM-400. Two suggestions:

1. Download and read a copy of the manual. It's not the world's most intuitive amp for dialing in the sound you're looking for. It's a knob twiddler's delight compared to most amps. Once you get your head around it's overkill level of flexibility however, it makes more sense and becomes easier to get the sound you want.

2. Put a high-pass filter in the effects loop and dial out everything below about 150-200Hz. (I use a Broughton Audio HPF. Highly recommended.) Your sound will be better and the amp will run considerably cooler. I was about to toss my SM-400 into a dumpster until I found that tip in an SWR user forum.
 
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